Looper support for sewing machines



Aug. 21, 1928. 1,681,458

J. M. BIDDLE LObPER SUPPORT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 15, 1926. 3 Sheets-Sheet l mm "m n Aug. 21, 1928. 1,681,458

J. M. BIDDLE LOOPER SUPPORT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 15, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 21; 1928.

J. M. BIDDLE LOOPER SUPPORT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 15, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

JOHN M. RIDDLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

ASSIGNOR TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LOOPER SUPPORT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

Application filed May 15,

The invent-ion relates to new and useful improvements in looper supports for sewing machines, and more particularly to means for supporting a thread carrying looper.

An object of the invention is to provide a looper support which is so constructed that the looper may be stamped from metal, so far as the construction of the shank of the looper is concerned, and yet have a durable clamping support in the carrier on which it is mounted.

A further object of the invention is to provide a looper of the above type which is so constructed that a plurality of loopers may be secured to the carrier therefor by a single clamping nut, and wherein said loopers may be independently adjusted on the carrier in a direction transversely of the longitudinal axis of the carrier.

A further object of the invention. is to provide a looper which is so constructed that it may be readily mounted directly on a crank carried by the operating shaft without the use of any set screws or the like engaging the shank of the looper.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is an end view of a looper sup port embodying the improvements;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing a modified form of looper and supporting means therefor;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 6, but showing a modified ,form of looper and looper support. I

The improved looper and support therefor consists broadly of a looper and carrier which are so constructed as to have substantially flat parallel engaging surfaces so that the looper is held from rotation on the carrier, and at the same time, permitted to move longitudinally of the carrier, whereby a 1926. Serial No. 109,343.

single looper or a plurality of loopers may be clamped on the carrier by a single clamping nut. In one form of the invention, the shank of the looper is forked, while in the other form of the invention, the shank of the looper is made of a single member. In both cases, however, the side faces of the shank are flat and parallel, and the entire looper is of such construction that it may be stamped from metal. The looper carrier, in the preferred form of the invention, is slabbed so asto form a central portion with parallel flat faces, and this central portion is adapted to be straddled by the forked members of the looper shank, and the flat faces of the looper and the carrier thus brought into engagement with each other so that the looper is held from rotating on the carrier. In the other form of the invention, the looper carrier has a recess centrally therethrough, thus forming parallel adapted to engage the flat faces on the single member of the shank of the looper, and thus it is again that the looper is held from rotating on the looper carrier. These slabbed sides of the looper carrier and this central recess in the looper carrier are of sufficient length so that when the loopers are mounted on the carrier, the looper may move longitudinally of the carrier. In certain forms of the invention, a. series of loopers may be used and the loopers spaced from each other by spacing collars or by an extra thickness in the shank which engages the carrier, and the looper or the loopers, when a plurality of loopers are used, are all forced by a single nut against an abutment or shoulder on the carrier and thus clamped to the looper carrier. This carrier is preferably in the form of a crank mounted directly on the end of the looper shaft, and the looper shaft is oscillated so as to move the looper or the loopers into and out of their respective needle thread loops.

I will describe in detail first, the preferred form of the looper, wherein the shank flat faces which are of the looper is forked, and I will then debe stamped from sheet metal. In the preferred form of the invention, this fiat shank portion 2 is provided with spaced arms 3 and 4, thus forming a forked shank which is open at its lower end. The operating shaft is indicated at 5. Mounted on this shaft is a head 6. The head 6 is clamped to the shaft 5 by means of a locking pin 7. This locking pin 7 is provided with a segmental recess 8 which is curved to conform to the curvature of the shaft5. The recess is placed in proper alinement with the opening in the head 6 through which the shaft 5 passes. This pin 7 is threaded as indicated at 9, and a nut- 10 turned on to the threaded end of the pin, engages the side face of the head (i, and when turned down against said side face, will cause the wall of the segmental recess 8 to grip the shaft 5 and thus firmly lock the head on the shaft. This head (i is provided with a carrier 11 for the looper or loopers, and this carrier is in the form of a crank which is offset from the central lon gitudinal axis of the shaft 5. The carrier 11 is provided with fiat faces 12 and 13 (see F ig. 5) which are parallel with each other. The members 3 and 4 are spaced so that the shank of the looper may be placed over the carrier 11, and these members 3 and 4 will engage the side faces of the carrier.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings, two loopers 1 and 1 are shown as mounted on the carrier. The looper 1 is placed on the carrier, and the side face of the shank is moved up into contact with the shoulder 14. Next on the car rier, is placed a collar 15, and then the looper 1. When the carrier is made sufiiciently long for more loopers than shown in Fig. 3, a clamping sleeve 16 is used. Both the collar 15 and the sleeve 16 have their inner recesses of the same diameter as the maximum diameter of the carrier 11. The end of the carrier is threaded at 17 and a nut 18 is screwed thereon. This nut engages the sleeve 16 and forces the sleeve against the looper the looper 1 against the collar 15, the collar 15 against the looper 1, and the looper 1 against the shoulder 14. Thus it is that the loopers are firmly clamped on the carrier 11. Inasmuch as the shanks of the loopers are forked and engage the flat faces of the carrier, these loopers cannot oscillate on the carrier, but are oscillated with the carrier when the operating shaft 5 is oscillated. By loosening the nut 18, the loopers can be adjusted bodily in a direction transversely of the longitudinal axis of the carrier. This adjustment of one looper can be made independently of the adjustment of the other looper, and thus the point of the looper relative to the axis of the operating shaft can be varied. The looper is curved substantially about the axis of the operating shaft. As noted above, more than two loopers may be used, and these loopers may be constructed so that the points are set to pass the needles at slightly different intervals. The looper carrier may be short encd if desired, from that shown in the drawings, in which case, the clamping sleeve 16 should be omitted.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures (3 and '7, the shank portion 2 of the looper is provided with a single supporting member 19 instead of spaced arms forming a fork. The carrier 11 is circular in cross section throughout its entire extent, and is provided with an elongated rectangular recess 20 which extends all the way through the carrier. This recess 20 forms parallel flat faces which are adapted to engage the flat faces on the shank member 19 of the looper. Thus it is that the looper is held from oscillating or rotating on the looper carrier. The shank member 19 as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings is made considerably thicker than the body portion of the looper, and this thickened portion of the shank indicated at 21 in Fig. (5 of the drawings. takes the place of the spacing collar 15. \Vhen a plurality of loopers are used they are placed in the slot 20 side by side. This slot extends clear up to the abutment or shoulder 14 on the looper carrier, so that when the nut 18 is turned on to the threaded portion 17 of the carrier, it will force one looper against the other and the inner looper against the abutment or shoulder 1 1-. and thus it is that the loopers will be firmly clamped on the carrier. The loopers may be adjusted after the same manner described above in connection with the forked shank. In Fig. 8 of the drawings, the loopers are similar in construction to those shown in Figures 6 and 7, except the thickened portion 21 on the shank member of the looper is omitted, and spacing collars indicated at 15 are used.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A looper support for sewing machines comprising a carrier having a non-circular cross section, a looper having a forked shank adapted to straddle said carrier, said carrier having a shoulder at one end thereof and a clamping nut at the other end thereof for forcing the looper against said shoulder for clamping the same to the carrier.

2. A looper support for sewing machines comprising a looper carrier, an operating shaft, a head mounted on the end of said shaft, said looper carrier being connected to said head and located at one side of the center of the operating shaft, said carrier being irregular in cross section, a looper mounted on the carrier having a forked shank adapted to straddle the carrier and conform to the irregular cross section of the carrier so as to be held from oscillation on the carrier, said carrier having a shoulder at one end thereof and a clamping member at the other end thereof adapted to clamp said looper shank against the shoulder and thus lock the looper to the carrier.

3. A looper support for sewing machines comprising a carrier having flat opposed faces, a looper having a fiat shank provided with a forked end forming spaced members disposed so as to engage said flat faces of the carrier when the shank of the looper is placed on the carrier, said carrier having a shoulder at one end thereof and a clamping member at the other end thereof adapted to hold said shank of the looper clamped against said shoulder.

4. A looper support for sewing machines comprising an operating shaft, a head secured to said operating shaft, a projecting carrier formed integral with said head and offset from the center of said shaft, said carrier having opposed flat faces, a series: of loopers, each of which is provided with a flat shank having a forked portion adapted to straddle the carrier and engage the flat faces thereof, spacing collars between the loopers, said carrier having a shoulder at one end thereof, and clamping means for clamping the loopers and collars against said shoulder.

5. A looper support for sewing machines comprising an operating shaft, a head secured to said operating shaft, a projecting carrier formed integral with said head and offset from the center of said shaft, said carrier having opposed flat faces, a series of loopers, each of which is provided with a flat shank having a forked portion adapted to straddle the carrier and engage the flat faces thereof, spacing collars between the loopers, said carrier having a shoulder at one end thereof, and clamping means for clamping the loopers and collars against said shoulder, said head having a passage therethrough for said shaft and a passage tl'ierethrough for the clamping pin, which last-named passage intersects the first-named passage, a pin located in the last-named passage and having a segmental recess to receive the shaft, said pin extending outside of said head and adapted to receive a nut whereby the pin may be caused to grip the shaft and lock the head on the shaft.

6. A looper support for sewing machines comprising an operatingshaft, a head having a passage therethrough for the shaft, said head having a second passage at right angles to the passage for the shaft and intersecting the same, a pin located in said second passage and having a recess adapted to receive the shaft when the head is placed on the end of the shaft, said pin projecting beyond the side face of the head and threaded to receive a nut whereby the pin may be moved endwise for gripping the shaft and locking the head thereto, a looper carrier mounted on said head at one side of the axis of the shaft, and means for clamping the looper on said carrier whereby said looper is located in a plane disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the operating shaft.

7. A looper support for sewing machines comprising a carrier having a shoulder at one end thereof and a clamping nut at the other end thereof, a looper supported on said carrier between said nut and said shoulder and adapted to be clamped against the shoulder by said nut, said carrier and looper having interengaging means whereby said looper is free to move endwise of the carrier and is held from turning on said carrier.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

JOHN M. BIDDLE. 

